Need advice on H&M Tilt Back Austin chair - Regular (2032NB) vs High Back (2038NB)...

We have only been able to test-sit in a standard height Austin chair. It is OK for both of us (5'11" and 5'9"), but based on the size and the location of the chair it would replace, we were leaning toward the High Back version as a better fit. The salesman at the only local store that carries H&M advised against that. He claimed that the gas strut for the Tilt Back mechanism was not designed for the extra weight of the High Back chair and that we would have to replace that strut much more often than if we bought the standard height.

So, is there anybody out there who has owned a High Back Austin Tilt Chair (2038NB) for at least a couple of years that can comment on performance?

Duane - Have you seen any difference in failure rate of the Tilt Back strut between the 2 styles?

Thanks
Nancy